Letters to the editor, Oct. 18, 2012

IN YOUR OPINION

There are some important issues on the ballot Nov. 6, but for Marion County residents few can be more important than the bond referendum to support Munroe Regional Medical Center.

As an RN at MRMC for more than 15 years, I know too well how critical it is to keep Munroe a public, not-for-profit hospital. For $5 or less a month, residents of the county can be assured of top quality health care for all.

A for-profit hospital, as the name implies, exists to make money. At MRMC, our goal is to provide top quality health care.

Profits from MRMC go back to the community. Profits from a for-profit hospital go to a corporation in another state.

MRMC operates openly. Administration's doors are open to everyone. A for-profit hospital answers to its board, not the public.

MRMC will not turn any patient away. No insurance? Don't expect a stay at a for-profit hospital.

MRMC is one of America's best hospitals for 2012.

Some have complained that homeowners should be expected to pay when non-homeowners do not. But there is no option to raise the money to support this hospital. A sales tax is not an option and would, in fact, cost voters more than the bond approval.

One never knows when a trip to the hospital is needed, whether for an individual or his or her family member. For so little, a not-for-profit quality hospital is waiting to care for each person in this county. It would be a tragedy to let this jewel disappear.

I urge everyone to vote yes on the bond referendum for MRMC. Go to the end of the amendments, the last item on the ballot, and vote YES for MRMC.

Patti OrrOcala

News

1.20.2015

Flu season is in full swing

As doctor's offices, urgent care centers and hospitals are seeing, flu season is active, with hospitalization rates close to what they were two years ago. Flu is one of the nation's leading causes of death, with roughly 24,000 people a year dying from flu and its complications. Latest figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show the flu hitting hard in all but seven states.More